Staff Spotlight: Cydney Kramer, Program Manager

January 19, 2017

Cydney joined Heart in 2016 as a Program Manager, overseeing the day-to-day operations of six of Heart’s school sites through managing Program Coordinators and analyzing program quality and efficacy.

Cydney grew up in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a B.A. in International Studies and minors in Law & Society, Spanish, and International Marketing. She was a member of the Teach For America Charlotte Corps, taught 7th grade for three years, and led the Social Studies department at her placement school in Charlotte Mecklenburg. She then became an Instructional Facilitator where she coached math and social studies teachers and operated the Data Driven Instruction process.

Cydney also worked as a Site and Regional Coordinator at Freedom School Partners for four summers. Cydney is strongly committed to ensuring that all children are given an equal opportunity to have an excellent education. She believes students succeed when their instructional and emotional needs are supported at an individual level.

Cydney lives in Plaza Midwood and just ran her first marathon in Charleston this weekend!

Here are Cydney’s answers to our Spotlight questions:

Who was your best teacher and why? I was lucky to have so many amazing teachers, but one of the most memorable was my AP American History class with Mr. Ulrich. He held us to incredibly high expectations and the class challenged me in a way that I had not been challenged before. 

What is your favorite book? My favorite book is The Great Gatsby and one of my most recent favorites is All the Light We Cannot See!

What is your favorite education quote?

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;
watch your words, they become actions;
watch your actions, they become habits;
watch your habits, they become character;
watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu